Free Comic Book Day 2010 - Part Two

Last week we started a trip through this year's crop of Free Comic Book Day books.  See previous post for the full intro, and stay tuned at the bottom for what I actually paid cash for on said day.

And now, the second half.

Irredeemable/Incorruptible     Boom Studios   
Two half-issue stories is a good way to introduce more than one title in a free issue without overwhelming me with super-short snippets.  Both in the same world, even.  I preferred Incorruptible to Irredeemable, but both had decent writing/art.
Rating:  4     Buy another?  Probably not

Love and Capes     Maerkle Press
Better than last year's sample of this largely unambitious superhero “sitcom”.  Which is saying it's been upgraded from awful to “shrug”.
Rating:  3     Buy another?  Nope

Mouse Guard/Fraggle Rock     Archaia
Oh, Huzzah!  The short Mouse Guard tale was beautiful and sweet, and the Fraggle Rock two-fer read like, well, a mediocre episode.  Not a great episode, but not outside of the spirit of the show, either.  And the art was quite nice.  I see that Archaia has also picked up spin-offs of Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.  Despite their irregular production schedule, this company seems to put enough work into the art of their books that those might be worth looking into.  (I can't stand the BOOM! Studios' Muppet comics because I dislike the art so strongly.)
Rating:  5     Buy another?  Yup

ONI Free for All     ONI Press
Cute assortment of short pieces here.  Nothing annoying or offensive, but neither are they super engaging.
Rating:  4     Buy another?  Probably not

Owly and Friends     Top Shelf
I love Owly and Korgi every year. :)  Both wordless all ages comics, they're simple and adorable, and the art in Korgi is gorgeous.
Rating:  5     Buy another?  Possible

Radical     Radical Comics
Looks at first like another “fancy art, pathetic writing” company, but the writing wasn't actually too bad, although I didn't feel like I really got into the premise of any of their snippets.
Rating:  4     Buy another?  Probably not

Shrek/The Penguins of Madagascar     Ape Entertainment, Kizoic
Not as terrible as I expected.  Not good, but not terrible.  Except the Penguins.  They were pretty terrible.
Rating:  2     Buy another?  No Way

The Sixth Gun     ONI Press
Intriguing piece, although not quite enough info for me to be sure whether I'd be into this supernatural Old West tale.
Rating:  4     Buy another?  Possible

Sonic the Hedgehog     ArchieComics
I have a soft spot for Sonic.  I like his cheesy comics.  This one does fall into the FCBD trap of spending too much time on what's-been-happening-in-the-comic instead of just giving us a sense of a standard issue, but is still okay.
Rating:  3     Buy another?  Probably not

Storm Lion     Storm Lion
The main story “Devolution” didn't completely suck, even though it was very very obvious.  This is another one of those “high-end” art, lame writing, companies.  Also, I hate it when FCBD books pad out their issues with concept art for other series.
Rating:  2     Buy another?  Nope

The Stuff of Legends/City of Bones     Th3rd World Studios
I liked the Stuff of Legend freebie last year, and continue to like the aesthetic.  Although I'm not really sure why I wouldn't just re-read A Game of You and watch Toy Story for a similar feel.  City of Bones was meh. And the webcomics printed in the center of this issue were idiotic.
Rating:  4     Buy another?  Probably not

The Tick     NEC
This is a reprint of Tick #1, which I've read before.  Even though I personally prefer the lighter touch of the animated series, I do love this comic.
Rating:  5     Buy another?  Possible

Toy Story     Boom Kids
Cute.  I don't think it's something I would collect, but it seems like a solid kids' title from this preview.
Rating:  4     Buy another?  Probably not

War of the Supermen     DC
Clip Show! This is a "issue zero" event-prep sum up, so you could, in theory, read this, and then pick up War of the Supermen when it comes out and understand it.  Good luck with that.  Although some of the story snippets were fun.  I should also note that I was strangely drawn to almost all of the ads in this one, so while I have no interest in War of the Supermen, if I hear that the new Birds of Prey, Legion of Superheroes, or Zatanna are good, I'm there.  (The last page is even an ad for new Who!  They know me.)
Rating:  3     Buy another?  Nope, but they did interest me in other titles.

WeatherCraft     Fantagraphic
Ugh.  I am not the right person to review abstract avant guarde stuff.  I hate this sort of thing, and have no idea whether people who like this sort of thing would like this particular random assortment of shit.
Rating:  1     Buy another?  No Way

Worlds of Aspen     Aspen
I always read these, and I always think the same thing: Ooh, pretty...my she's not wearing much...wow that dialogue is silly.  I like the shiny half-manga style art enough on first glance to want to like the various series, but most of them seem to revolve around scantily clad magic chicks.
Rating:  2     Buy another? Nope

Yow!     Drawn & Quarterly
I'm surprised by the amount of surrealism and magic going on in these reprints of old comics.  I like it.
Rating:  3     Buy another?  Nope


And there you have the free books.  No real surprises this year, although a few titles I may keep an eye on. 

Quick recap: books receiving top score of 5 stars:
Atomic Robo, EC Sampler, Fractured Fables, Mouse Guard/Fraggle Rock, Owly and Friends, The Tick.

However, I said last week that I often buy things on Free Comic Book Day.  This year was no exception.  The first issue of Mouse Guard we bought, that started us collecting them, was bought on a FCBD.

So what did I actually pay, not just money, but full price for, on this Free Comic Book Day?  In truth, I had one of those moments that FCBD is about.  I was in the store, had gotten my free stuff, and suddenly stopped dead in the aisle.  Oh, I thought, I didn't even know they were doing this.  I must have it.  NOW.

 

This makes me deliriously happy.  And now I'm collecting another series.  Score one for you, Free Comic Book Day.


Next Week:  The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins
Two Weeks:  New Theme!  Pre-Tolkien Fantasy, Book One: Phantastes by George MacDonald